The Fayetteville State Broncos football team will head to Valdosta, Georgia to play against the Valdosta State Blazers. It will be their first-ever meeting in football.

The Broncos are coming off a 35-31 victory in their season opener against UNC Pembroke. FSU had a strong running game with 168 rushing yards, led by Junior Quarterback Demari Daniels, who rushed for 69 yards and scored two touchdowns.

The No. 5/7 Valdosta State football team rushed for 197 yards and passed for 128 yards as it won 27-14 at Newberry College last Saturday.  The Blazers amassed 325 yards of offense while holding NC to just 262 yards for the game. 

Fayetteville State Broncos Head Coach Richard Haynes Jr., who has guided his program to six consecutive CIAA Champions, is confident in his team's abilities. He has emphasized the championship pedigree within Valdosta State and that the game will be no easy task. It is the perfect program to gauge the Broncos against early in the season.

"I think we'll find out this week on how good we really are."

Key players to watch for FSU on offense are starting quarterback Joe Owens who completed eight passes for 119 yards. Backup QB Demari Daniels rushed for a team-high 66 yards with two touchdowns and threw for 87 yards and a score. David Baros was the favorite receiver with six catches for 116 yards.

Defensively, CIAA Defensive Lineman of the Week Shi Gaskin led the game against UNC Pembroke with nine total tackles, four for a loss of 18 yards, and two sacks for 15 yards. Defensive End Shawn Robinson followed with seven stops and a sack.

On special teams, John Hernandez-Vargas was named the CIAA Special Teams' Player of the Week after going two-for-two in field goals with a longest of 40 yards and making all three extra-point attempts. Theniias Moss blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown.

For Valdosta State, Blazer senior quarterback Sammy Edwards went 13 of 21 passing for 128 yards and one touchdown, while he had six rushes for 56 yards and a score.  Graduate student Blake Hester had a team-high ten carries for 65 yards and a score on the ground, while graduate student Xyre Wilson had one reception for 35 yards and scored the first touchdown of the game.

Blazer graduate student Larry Elder had eight solo tackles and one tackle for loss for six yards to lead the team as he, along with Edwards, are the reigning Gulf South Conference Defensive and Offensive Players of the Week, respectively, following Week 0.  Up front senior J'Quan Hicks finished with six total tackles and four solo stops with one tackle for loss for six yards. VSU had three sacks in the game.

The Blazers (2-0 overall) and the Fayetteville State Broncos (1-0) battle Saturday at 7 p.m. at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium.  Fans can access links to live stats, audio/video streaming, ticket information, and more at vstateblazers.com on the football schedule page.